digestible. that does it for this edition of "360." larry king starts right now. >> larry: tonight, let's get ready to rumble. ann coulter versus al sharpton. can they and the country come together on health care? and president obama's approval rating and what does the drop really mean? and oprah's best friend, gayle king will tell us why lady o. is really leaving her syndicated show. oprah regular suzy ormen is here to tell us if the yeen of all media is making the right decision. all next on "larry king live."

lots of things to discuss with ann coulter, the syndicated columnist and conservative commentator, "new york times" best-selling author. her most recent book is "guilty: liberal victims and their assault on america." and in atlanta, reverend al sharpton, the civil rights leader. he is in atlanta as part of n.a.n.'s national day of outrage, advocating for an end to gun and gang violence. okay. ann, the senate is set to move forward on the debate on health care. as a conservative, do you agree that there are problems, that the health care system needs change? >> yes. mostly caused by government intervention. for one thing, two main problems with government intervention, one is going back to world war ii when fdr imposed wage and price controls. employers started providing health care for employees. they couldn't offer their employees higher salaries so instead they offered them health care. because of that, it's hard and

now there is a tax deduction. now in law. it's very hard to get health insurance outside of your employer. and you always want to be the one holding the credit card for good service. and the second problem is mostly state regulation, making insurance very expensive by requiring it to cover all sorts of things like viagra and restless leg syndrome and marriage counseling and drug counseling and gambling counseling that, for a young kid out of college or someone who wants to buy health insurance on his own, you want to ensure against catastrophes. you don't want to pay for everybody else's marriage counseling. it should be an option. but when it's mandatory there's a problem. >> larry: do you agree that there has to be a public option? >> yes, i do. i think you have to have a public option. and it's an option. i think we've got to really recognize that we have the first conference of health plan that's

passed the congress, period. i think that this is a major milestone. now the senate is on their way. and the senate bill is generally in the same framework as the congressional bill. i think what is very, very telling here, larry, is that the congressional budget office, which everyone, both parties kind of see as nonpartisan and as an authority that could be trusted, is saying that this health bill as it stands will save millions of dollars for americans, our children, in years to come. i think we're in a very, very good place and i think that the 37 million to 40 million people that are uninsured certainly can find some comfort in the fact that we're moving in a direction to insure all americans. >> larry: ann, do you think that a country as rich as this, we're the only one without a national health insurance, do you think

the american citizen is owed good health? >> yes. that's why i strongly oppose a public option, which is not just an option. everybody's going to have to pay for it. and pay through the nose for it. because, obviously, the way it's described is people who can't get regular insurance. why can't they get regular insurance? because they have a catastrophic disease, an expensive treatment that could be a million dollars a year. if everybody goes into that program -- >> larry: without public health, what would be your way of getting health to them since you agree they deserve it? >> well, over time, simply abolishing the government interventions i described would take care of about 95% of it. in the meantime, once insurance was available on the free market and you could buy it the way you buy flat screen tvs and computer technicians and genius bar at the mac store, it would be cheap and easily available. people would get insurance and there would be no pre-existing conditions.

for the transition period, i would far prefer to have a large government fund, i'm not a fan of big government programs, but you though, there are plenty of programs i think we can cut back on. the cost of the trial of khalid shaikh mohammed, all the early education, early school programs. how about we have a big pot of money for people who through no fault of their own, have a catastrophe befall them. i think it would be better done through the states and private charities but that's better than what they're doing. >> what's wrong with that? people have a catastrophic illness, ann says over time, let's take care of them. >> no. >> people with catastrophic illnesses may not have time. what's wrong with that? she doesn't believe in big government. but let's have a big government fund. to do it, let's cut out the education of young children and let's not have trial for terrorists. there's a lot wrong with all those things. i think ann as the spokesperson for those opposing health care has just given three of the most illogical reasons that people in

the congress and the senate have rejected that. the fact of the matter is, we do need the government to regulate pharmaceutical industry who has exorbitant prices, insurance companies that have these exorbitant prices. we need to have them protect the american people. that's what government is for. we don't have to sacrifice children's education and tell people with catastrophic health problems that over time, by and by, when the morning comes, we may take care of you. >> no, i didn't say that. not only did i not say that, but i speak only for myself. i said over time, by letting the market provide health insurance -- >> these people don't have time, ann. >> it would be as available as car insurance is now. so you wouldn't already have people with pre-existing conditions as we do now. for those people, and by the way, neither the senate or the house health care bill over time, they won't even start paying benefits for five years. that's the democrats' plan. i'd set it up immediately and the early education health

care -- rather school programs have been utter and complete failures. you could eliminate the entire department of agriculture, the entire department of education and you could get rid of terrorist trials and put that into a catastrophic fund. my point is, for the hard cases, deal with the hard cases. don't wreck the entire health care system. fix it, don't -- what's broken. don't re-create some european socialist health care program. >> i don't think this is a european health program at all. clearly you're talking about dealing with situations that we have neglected in the past that has gotten only worse which is why we're dealing with millions of people that are uninsured, which is why prices are so high. i think clearly it is time that america come to terms with this. i think most americans agree. that's why this administration was elected. i think they are fulfilling the promises that they made.

and i think that we cannot continue to act as if this will just heal itself. there has to be some hard decisions made. i think the congress has made some. i think the senate is moving in that direction, and it's the right direction. >> larry: i have to get a break. we'll continue on this and other topics as well with ann coulter and al sharpton. don't go away.

>> larry: before we move to other topics, ann coulter, do you think we're going to have a new health plan passed in congress or do you think not?

>> i have a nickel bet riding on a new health care bill, at least with the public option not being signed by president obama. this vote in the senate saturday night, for example, it's weird that there were parades and fireworks over that. hillary care got farther than that back in 1994 when hillary proposed her socialist health care bill. this vote wasn't even reported on. this was a vote to proceed to the debate. now we have the amendments, including one very sticky one, which is the abortion issue, whether national health care is going to cover abortion as the senate bill it does or it won't as it doesn't in the house bill. >> i think that we will -- >> larry: al, you think there's going to be a bill? >> i think there will be a bill. i think that we've gotten a lot further because the house of representatives has already passed a bill. i think the senate will debate and i think we'll have a bill. i think if we did not have the bill and ann wins her nickel,

the american people ought to lose, particularly the millions of uninsured. i would not want to bet against them and them finally having health care in this, a great nation. >> larry: let's move to some other areas. ann, the president is meeting with his war council tonight. we still don't have a definitive decision on where we go in afghanistan. it's a problem he inherited. now it's become his war. where do we go from here, ann? >> well, i don't know. i mean, it's more than a problem he inherited. it was president obama during the campaign who kept talking about afghanistan as the necessary war and iraq, that little war of choice. he is the one who put all the focus on afghanistan. which i think was a mistake. but he did it, it's his war now. and you know, now we're getting the hamlet routine, hoping he makes the decision on troops before the end of his administration. >> larry: what do you think he's going to do, al? >> i don't know what he's going to do. i'm glad to see he's been deliberate.

i think after this country suffered in terms of loss of life. let us remember now, we're not talking about pieces on a chess board. we're talking about the lives of soldiers that go out and put their lives on the line to protect all of us. people who have families. i think that for him to be deliberate and not put us through a reckless quit choice like we saw in the last war that was made on flawed information, i think it's the right and respectful thing to do to our american troops. i hope he comes back from this deliberate decision with the right choice. as far as the end of his administration, it's not even the end of the first year he's been in office. i think it is the right thing to do to take time to deal with the fact you could cost american lives and that you have to have the right strategy that would secure american lives here. >> larry: ann, today, dick cheney accused the attorney

general holder of wanting to stage a show trial with khalid shaikh mohammed and others in new york. what if one asked it this way. the crime occurred in new york, the buildings were bombed in new york. the victims would attend the trial in new york. what's wrong with a trial? that's what we do in america. what's wrong with that? >> well, i guess because i disagree with the second word of your question, which was the crime. it was not a crime. it was an act of war. these were enemy combatants. khalid shaikh mohammed was not in new york. he was captured on foreign soil where he plotted the attack of 9/11, both in new york and in washington. and as it turns out, in pennsylvania. this is the first time an enemy combatant has been given a civilian trial, an o.j. trial. from what eric holder himself says, it is a show trial. he was asked what happens if khalid shaikh mohammed is acquitted?

he says, we may detain him as an enemy combatant anyway. if he is an enemy combatant, he should be in the military tribunal that obama shut down and held in abeyance for eight months. >> larry: al, what do you think? >> we had three terrorist trials in new york. under the republicans' administration. they took a much different posture. i think that the -- clearly this was a crime. clearly it was done in new york. i think clearly there are a lot of people that engage in criminal conspiracies outside of the venue that are brought into the venue and tried. i think that the attorney general and the justice department would not have prosecuted them if they weren't confident of a victory. we will see what happens at trial. but clearly, i think they are criminals and should be tried as criminals and they should be tried at the scene of the crime by those people that were affected by the venue where the crime occurred.

>> larry: i'm going to pick right up on that. we'll be back in 60 seconds. yo silverado has 315 horsepower? how about your f150? less. silverado's powertrain is backed for 5 years or 100,000 miles. yours? 40,000 miles less. don't blame the carpenter, blame the tool. now during the chevy red tag event, get an '09 silverado with 0 percent apr for 72 months. see red and save green. now at your local chevy dealer. been putting our clients first. according to a leading independent research firm, in 2009 clients rated wells fargo advisors the #1 u.s investment firm for doing what's best for them. with advisors nearby and nationwide, we're with you when you need advice and planning expertise to meet today's challenges. wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far.

>> larry: president obama came in for some major mockery this weekend on "saturday night live." the show opened with a skit involving the president of china challenging mr. obama on a number of sensitive topics. watch. >> and the cash for clunkers program, i have read that you purchase many clunkers with our money. >> yes, we have. >> what does this word clunkers mean? >> well, a clunker is a -- >> i know what a clunker is. and just so there is no misunderstanding, you are not allowed to pay us back in clunkers. will you kiss me? >> i'm sorry? >> will you kiss me? >> i don't understand. >> i like to be kissed when

someone is doing sex to me. >> larry: all right, ann, is this pure fun or a sign of declining popularity of a president? >> i'm not sure what it is a sign of, but i think there's a lot of truth in this sketch. the chinese are the ones buying our treasuries and that's why you keep hearing the obama administration talking about how health care is going to bend the cost curve down. that means health care rationing. we can't keep running up the debt. i think that is a lot of the problem with obama's popularity. i think it reflects his decline in popularity. >> larry: that's what i asked. do you think it does, al? >> i think it's a skit. it's funny to me when "saturday night live" goes after sarah palin, the right wing has all kinds of fits and when they go

after -- or make jokes on president obama, all of a sudden they're reflecting some national mood and it has some deeper meaning. you can't have it both ways, ann. i think the fact of the matter is, the chinese buying american currency the chinese having such great american debt didn't happen under the last ten months under the administration of president obama. i think he's trying to cover an economic situation he inherited from president bush and i think that it is very interesting that all of a sudden we're trying to act like this began in january of this year. i don't think the facts will bear that out at all. >> with the stimulus bill -- >> larry: we'll talk about sarah palin. she was mentioned. hold it, ann. we'll talk about sarah palin and other things when we come back. don't go away. i chose habitat for humanity. our pets are our kids. we chose the aspca.

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in my breathing... now more of my want to's are can do's. ask your doctor about symbicort today. i got my first prescription free. call or go online to learn more. (announcer) if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> larry: before we talk about sarah palin, let's take a call for ann coulter and al sharpton. atlanta, hello. >> caller: my question is for ann coulter. she made the comment that the public option is going to cause health insurance premiums to increase. because it would cover people with catastrophic events. first of all, do you feel that those people don't deserve health care coverage also? and then also, are you ignorant of the fact that there are millions of people who are among the working poor, going to work faithfully every day and their employers don't provide health insurance. what's your solution for those people? >> larry: ann? >> i'm aware of those people and i'm aware of myself without an

employer. the point is that you can't have democrats simultaneously telling us they're going to bend the cost curve down and save so much money when they're going to have a public option for people who can't get health insurance otherwise. often because they have catastrophic illnesses that cost a million dollars a year. that isn't a cost-saving measure. you can say we have an enormous federal program that will balloon the federal deficit or you can say we're going to cover all of these people who can't get coverage now and have it open to everyone, including illegal aliens by the way. you can't say both and that is what the democrats are telling us and they also have a chocolate cake that tastes delicious and you lose calories. you lose weight eating it. it's just crazy what they're proposing. >> larry: al, is money more important -- my old friend henry lewin used to say, money is not the most important thing, health is 3%.

where in this equation does health count? >> i think health should be our priority. even in terms of money, again, no less authority than the congressional budget office that has looked at these bills say it will in fact save americans, not balloon the deficit. save americans over the course of years as time goes up. it will save even more millions. so i think that's been contradicted by the facts. and i think the caller and i are still waiting for ann to tell us what is her plan, not what is wrong with the democrats, which clearly she would disagree with the congressional budget office but what is her plan to deal with those working that are uninsured and those with catastrophic diseases? i think we missed your plan, ann. >> i gave you my plan three times. i'll give it a fourth time. first i want to say to larry king, this idea what's more important, health or money, do not assume that having the dmv run health care in america is going to give us better medical

care. it is going to be worse. one thing i'll agree with al sharpton on, it will not be a european style socialist health care in this country. they have the outlet of coming to the united states for any care they need. they have the united states inventing pharmaceuticals that europe and canada will never invent because they don't have the profit system there. without the united states, there will be no relief for people who have to wait for three years to get a c.a.t. scan. there will nobody relief for people who want a drug that will never be invented because national health care passes. what i said was for the transition, for the tough cases i would rather have one fund that pays these few rare cases rather than wreck the entire system for everyone. i mean everyone on earth. which is what the democrat plan will do. over time, what you do if you don't like the insurance companies, make them compete. you make apple compete with microsoft and suddenly everybody has a computer for $200. you make cell phones compete, suddenly everything is cheap and easily available.

somehow prices do not come down and services do not improve when the government is running things. >> larry: al, isn't it the insurance lobby that prevents competition? >> it is absolutely the insurance lobby. it is those that protect those interests and, again, i will say again, the congressional budget office has cost this out. the facts don't bear out the want ann is quoting it. >> that's a fraud. >> that's one. and both parties concede the congressional budget office, secondly, i think -- >> no. >> i mean, this general fund, i don't know how she will determine -- this general fund will determine what she says are rare catastrophic diseases. there's nothing rare about a lot of these diseases that we do not cover now in america. unfortunately, they're not rare and unfortunately they can't be covered by some nebulous general fund by people that don't believe in big government in the first place. >> the numbers are fraud. >> larry: i have to get another break. i want to talk about sarah palin as promised.

we have one segment left. we'll be back with ann coulter and al sharpton. they may good on the road together. don't go away. we know why we're here. to redefine air travel for a new generation. to ensure our forces are safer and stronger. to take the world we share to tomorrow and beyond. announcer: around the globe, the people of boeing are working together-- to make a difference. that's why we're here.

>> larry: ann coulter, would you like sarah palin to be your next candidate for the presidency? >> perhaps. i'm not -- >> larry: fair enough. >> i'm not coming out for anyone. i'd at least like the person to have declared. >> larry: i mean, do you like her enough to think she would hold the highest office?

>> i like her but i like a lot of republicans and as my answer suggested, i don't know that she even wants to run for president. >> larry: al, what do you make of this phenomena that is the former governor of alaska? >> i think what is interesting about the sarah palin book tour, i've not read the book but certainly from the excerpts and reviews and even the titles, she talks about rogue. she's got to be one of the first people in american political history that is selling books in big numbers for attacking the party and ticket she ran on. what is the book? it's a tell-all against her running mate and against their campaign. and really saying how she was a rogue against the party, that now people are saying is she going to lead. i think all of that is only good for her opponents. i mean, to admit that they were a train wreck that we all watched does not really encourage americans to make you the next conductor of the next train ride.

>> larry: ann, are you surprised that she's attacking the people who are behind the scenes for her? >> no. i think that's kind of a weird description of the book. i mean, i certainly haven't finished it but i've read, i don't know, 50, 70 pages of it. i'm looking forward to getting to what she says about the mccain camp but i would not define, you know, staffers working for mccain as the be all, end all definition of the republican party. the one thing that is certainly the most appealing aspect of sarah palin is that she annoys all the right people. and i think the title has a lot more to do with that. >> right. as in right wing. i think the rogue title, she was a rogue to the campaign and to the party. and i think that clearly you can't get away from the fact, ann, that that's what she called the book. that's what the book has been promoted as. i don't know if the first 50 to 75 pages says but the cover says

rogue. and rogue was about what? that is what she was nicknamed to the party and to the campaign. >> well, it came up during the campaign but it's about her upbringing in alaska. it's about her life and philosophy. >> it's also about how she conducted herself during the campaign. and i think that's how it's been promoted. >> this is a weird description of what she's doing here. yeah, she's appealing to conservatives and conservatives are the biggest part and the most important part of the republican party. that was a part that was not reflected in the nominee who chose her as his vice president. so i'm looking forward to getting to those parts. >> it's funny -- >> larry: do you think -- >> i think conservatives that supported her, including you, and supported him, i think that ticket was rejected by our count of the american vote last year. >> larry: do you think, ann, john mccain might be sorry he picked her? >> no. to his credit, he's said nice

things about the book and about sarah palin. i think it was more campaign staffers getting a little bit testy. i mean, what would happen on the campaign is, i'm not a political fan of john mccain's but a lot of his problem is he's not a particularly dynamic speaker. he'd show up at a rally and five people would be there. sarah palin would show up and she grew crowds bigger than obama did. sarah palin would draw twice the crowd as obama. there were jealousies on the campaign developing and the mainstream media was anxious to hear any bitter sniping from the campaign about sarah palin. so now we get to hear her side. >> larry: if she outdrew obama, who won? >> well, she was the vice presidential candidate. they rarely carry presidential campaigns, larry. i think you can check with anyone on that. >> larry: all right, guys, we'll have you back.

ann coulter and al sharpton, at it again. we'll make this a regular scene here. we thank them both very much. >> thank you. >> larry: oprah's best friend gayle king is here and oprah show regular, suze orman, too. they'll both be with us after this. rchase. what you do with it is up to you. what will you get back with your cash back? it pays to discover. but i didn't know that it may have led

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after much prayer and months of careful thought, i've decided that next season, season 25, will be the last season of the "oprah winfrey show."

>> larry: gayle king is oprah's best friend, editor at large of "o," the oprah magazine. host of the gayle king show on sirius xm radio. she's joining us from new york. and suze orman, the personal finance expert is a regular guest on oprah and contributor to the "o" magazine and also host of the cnbc's "the suze orman show." ga gail, ayour dear friend having second thoughts? >> she's having no form of buyer's remorse today. she feels very much at peace about her decision. she's happy about her decision. no, there's no sign of regret at all. it's interesting. i asked her that very question. how are you feeling? do you have any regrets? was it the right thing to do? without a doubt, it was a resounding yes for her. >> larry: is she sad about leaving chicago, though? she's moving west. >> i'm not sure she's leaving chicago at this particular time.

she has a place in california, has a place in chicago. while she's sorting everything out, of course the "o" network starts in january 2011. she's not going anywhere any time soon. we still have another season of oprah. we still have lots of time to spend with oprah. >> larry: i thought she was quoted as saying she's going to live in her beautiful mansion in california. and is leaving chicago. >> i read that quote, too. i don't think she's made a firm decision on that yet, i really don't. >> larry: okay. suze, were you surprised at the announcement? >> no, because you know, larry, it was about a year or so ago when i was on the oprah winfrey show the day she announced she was developing the network called o.w.n., the oprah winfrey network. so what did everybody think? of course there was going to come a time when she'd devote her time and energy into an entire network that she'll be in

charge of. it didn't surprise me whatsoever. >> larry: the announcement was classic oprah. let's watch a little. >> yes, it was. >> these years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life beyond all measure. and you all have graciously invited me into your living rooms, into your kitchens and into your lives. i want you all to know that my relationship with you is one that i hold very dear. and your trust in me, the sharing of your precious time, every day with me, has brought me the greatest joy i have ever known. >> larry: gayle, she's one of the richest women in the world. what keeps her close to the everyday lady? >> you know, larry, that's what i think is the beauty that is oprah winfrey.

whether you're one of the richest people in the world, a working middle-class person, whether you're a single woman struggling to make end's meet, everybody feels that oprah gets them and cares about them and everybody feels that oprah relates to them. every step of the way she's certainly been there. i think it is remarkable that someone of her stature still makes you feel that i am just like you. the reason she does that is because she does feel, i am just like you. >> larry: suze, is this a wise, purely business decision? >> i have to tell you, i think it is. let me say why i think it is. it is no secret that cable is getting larger and larger and larger. the networks are suffering in terms of viewership. where are people going? they are going to the cable networks. it's an advertising game, it's a money game. if you're looking at the future of television and the big

financial future of television, it has to be in my opinion in cable. do i think it is a wise move? i absolutely do. >> and suze and i -- >> larry: we'll take a break. go ahead, gayle. >> suze and i are friends. i say this with great respect. hi, suze. >> hi, gayle. >> i do not believe this was a business decision for oprah. i believe that what she said on her show was true. this was a life decision for her, that she really just felt that the time had come, after 25 years, she never wanted to be the girl that stayed too late at the party or stayed too long at the party. the time to leave is when you're still on top. oprah doesn't make decisions based on what is going to be financially lucrative for her. there's no telling how this cable -- how the cable network is going to work. i disagree that this was a business decision for her. >> yeah, but gayle, just with that said -- >> larry: i didn't say it was a

business decision. i asked her if she thought it was a go she said it was. >> and i do. >> larry: we'll be back. and a manufacturer in germany to reach new customers in the u.s. well, ups can help bring it all together with efficient solutions like paperless invoice that can help make customs a breeze. hey, the opportunities are out there. seize them with ups. you know, it's hard drawing those perfect circles.

>> larry: as we mentioned earlier, gayle king has a very popular radio show. guess who called in today? oprah. listen. >> how do you know, oprah, in your hearts of hearts that this is the right decision for you, without a doubt? i know you said you feel it in your bones. >> you feel it in your bones and spirit. i actually started to feel it when i had the option, you know, the question was do i leave in 2008? you know how i like numbers to even out. >> i know. i know. >> the question was do i leave in 2010? that's an even number. or do i, you know, try to make the 25th. and actually, years ago, when i was thinking about ending it in the 20th year, i had gotten an e-mail from matty steponik.

remember little matty? >> a caller just said that, that you had remembered matty steponik. >> yes. the e-mail was so heartfelt from that little angel boy. he said i feel in my heart it's 25 and not 20. >> yes, yes. >> i always kept that in the back of my mind. that was all a part of it. matty said it's 25 and not 20. that was also influential and also comes to the point of, as i do the show every day, how much longer do i think i can be 100%, present, still stimulated, stimulating for the audience. do i think i could do that past 2011? and the answer is no, because the show is 100% harder to do now than it was when i first started. >> larry: by the way, matty steponik's mother was on this program saturday night. and matty appeared here many times as well.

guess who's next? oprah's fourth grade teacher. don't go away.

>> larry: gayle king, suze orman and oprah's fourth grade teacher will be with us in just a moment. that moment will be spent with erica hill, sitting in for anderson cooper on "ac 360." what's up tonight, erica? >> just ahead on "360," there are, again, new questions about the controversial report on when to get a mammogram, specifically how it fits into the senate health care reform package. we want to know tonight, could the recommendations that confused so many women end up dictating medical coverage? and could it go beyond mammograms? we'll dig deeper tonight with our panel of high-powered women.

which includes former hewlett-packard ceo carly fiorina, and bernadette healy, the first woman to direct the national institutes of health. also ahead tonight, talk about an incredible story, a man literally trapped inside his own body for 23 years. doctors thought the whole time he was in a coma, in a persistive vegetative state. turns out he was awake. he could hear everything people around him were saying. we'll ask dr. sanjay gupta how this could happen. that's coming up tonight on "ac 360." >> larry: thank you, erica. that's at 10:00 eastern, 7:00 pacific. mary alice duncan was oprah winfrey's fourth grade teacher in nashville. oprah said the years she spent as mrs. duncan's student was one of the defining moments of her life. she was 9 years old. mrs. duncan joins us now. what are your memories of oprah? >> i'm very happy to have the

opportunity to speak about how i feel about oprah. at the time she was in my fourth grade class, she was outstanding, very good student in all areas, especially in reading. even the students loved to hear her read. >> larry: was she a good talker. >> she surely was. >> larry: now, she's been very open about the hardships she had as a childhood, difficult things. did you know how tough things were for her? >> no, i didn't. she spent time talking about when she was talking with me, about her dad. she thought so much of her dad. she still does. >> larry: are you surprised at all that's happened to her? >> you know, at that time, i felt that she might become a teacher herself.

and i really thought, i think she thought about it, too. becoming a teacher. she was capable. >> larry: sure was. gayle king, anything you want to say to mary alice duncan? >> you've asked it, larry. i was curious about what she was like in class, mrs. duncan. i've heard about you for so many years. it's an honor to see you in person. i know the high regard that oprah holds you in. was she a chatty kid in class, was she a quiet kid in class and did you ever think she'd grow up to be what she has become today? >> at that time, she was quiet -- >> quiet? wow. >> i asked her a question. she was ready to speak. she wanted everybody else in the class to take note of what i might be saying at that time. >> that sounds like her.

>> i can just see her turning around, looking if she heard a slight whisper. >> mrs. duncan, do you watch the oprah show, mrs. duncan? >> oh, yes. >> you do? >> oh, good. >> every day. >> what did you think, mrs. duncan? >> i was disappointed, really. i don't know. i'll surely miss seeing her looking at the clock at 4:00, time for oprah. and i'll miss her. >> larry: what a kick you must get every day, turning on the television and seeing your little 9-year-old girl there. >> it's amazing. she has accomplished so much. just brilliant. >> larry: it was good of you to

join us. >> yes. >> larry: you want to add something, gayle? >> what mrs. duncan just said about 4:00, i've been hearing that a lot for the past couple of days. what are we going to do at 4:00 when so many of us are used to the "oprah winfrey show." it's interesting hearing her say it. i've heard this a lot. >> i will surely miss her and think about her at that time. >> larry: you're a doll. there's nothing more important in life than your elementary school teachers. >> that's right. >> larry: mary alice duncan, oprah winfrey's fourth grade teacher. >> thank you. >> larry: dr. phil's reaction to the news and suze orman will be back after the break. with my subaru forester and its all-wheel drive... ... handling even the toughest conditions... is just another day at the beach.

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>> larry: here's dr. phil mcgraw's statement about oprah's decision to end her show. let's take a call for gayle king and suze orman, naples, florida. hello. >> caller: how are you, larry? >> larry: fine. >> caller: wonderful show. thank you so much. you do a great job. >> larry: thank you. >> caller: i've been to chicago several times and every time i go there, everyone i talk to,

it's thanks to oprah. it's oprah city. i'm wondering, i've been there before for a show called music mix usa. when i get there, i'm asked what if she does leave, what will happen to the economy in chicago? >> larry: would it have an economic effect, suze? >> we have 18 months until oprah is not going to be on the 4:00 spot. however, i'm not exactly sure that they're shutting down the harpo production company. so we're going to have to wait and see. oprah, obviously, is an entire financial community unto herself. time will tell. but off yosly, offiously, if s shut down it would have some impact. >> larry: will there continue to be a harpo? >> i think suze is absolutely right. no one really knows what her

plans are right now. i certainly hope that is her intention to continue -- allow harpo to continue. it's a huge business in chicago. i myself can't imagine chicago without harpo studios. >> larry: what happens to you, gayle? >> larry, i'm so glad you asked. "o" the oprah magazine is alive and well. that is my main job and my radio show. as far as i know, i still have a job. knock on wood. >> larry: suze, if you were running harpo, would you look to find a new host? >> you mean to replace oprah? >> larry: yes. >> listen. here's the thing, i know everybody is saying, who's going to replace oprah? who's going to do that? it is impossible. it's not like somebody cannot take over the 4:00 spot.

okay. but nobody -- and i mean this -- nobody is ever going to replace the part that oprah held in millions and millions of people's hearts, larry. it is impossible. it is impossible. even to talk about that is ridiculous. >> right. >> sure, there will be somebody else on at 4:00 but it will never be another oprah. >> you're right, suze. >> larry: will someone have to be a nincompoop to take the job? >> i can't imagine anyone saying put me in coach, put me in coach. the place that oprah holds in popular culture, the humanity of oprah and how people feel about her is something that cannot be duplicated. people need to come up with another plan. right now, there is only one. there is only one. >> larry: so suze, what show you going to go on now? >> well, i have my own show every saturday night on cnbc.

you know, i would do anything, obviously for the o network. i hope i continue writing for the "o" magazine. hopefully over the next eight months you'll see me on the oprah winfrey show and i'll be there. i'll be right with you, sir. >> larry: gayle, see you on the treadmills at the beverly wilsher. >> that's where larry and i meet. they'll start talking soon. bye, suze. >> bye, gayley! >> larry: ethel kennedy joined president obama in presenting the 2009 rfk human rights award to the women of zimbabwe. we salute ethel kdy